Incumbent Mayor of Middletown, Democrat Domenique Thornton, defeated Republican challenger Sebastian Giuliano by a vote of 4,735 to 4,503 in Tuesday’s Nov. 4 municipal elections, making her the first Democratic mayor of Middletown in the last 70 years to be elected to a fourth term.
Taxation was one of the controversial issues in this election year.
“Taxes were a tough hit. They went up [about]… $400 to $500 per capita,” Republican Registrar for Voters Janice Gionfriddo said.
At the center of the tax issue was Reval, a program that, up until recently, required the city to do a comprehensive evaluation on property every 10 years and make adjustments after each evaluation based on change in property value. Thornton’s administration shortened the period of time between evaluations from 10 years to four.
Leading up to the election, homeowners voiced concerns that fluctuating property values would force them to pay higher property taxes under Reval.
“There were many that didn’t survive,” said Thornton of homeowners who were affected by Reval. She argued that the effects of Reval have to be examined, while Giuliano campaigned on the platform of eliminating the program altogether.
“Giuliano felt he didn’t have to address Reval,” Thornton said. “He said it was that the people where just spending too much [of their] money.” An $8.1 million appropriation for road improvements, which appeared as a referendum on the ballot was another issue on Tuesday’s election. The Middletown residents voted in favor for in 4,190 to 1,618 votes.
The Thornton administration’s plan to construct a $79.9 million high school in Middletown was also resolved in the election. Some residents did not want to pay increased taxes for the new school. Thornton said that professional consultants had advised her not to ask for $80 million in tax dollars close to election time because it could mean losing potential votes.
Thornton, however, rejected the advice. “[The high school] is necessary,” she said. “It’s better to do the right thing, even though the political costs are high…. I’ve been elected to make the hard decisions for the town, to move it forward.”
“Communities can’t always change the president or the governor, but they can change their mayor,” Thornton said. “The pressures are enormous.” Democratic candidates fared well on Election Day, as the 12 members of the Common Council, 8 of whom are Democrats, were all re-elected.
Election Day started early for candidates and voting officials alike.
“I woke up at 4 a.m.,” Thornton said. “I wanted to greet Secretary of State Susan Bysiewcz.” There were many preparations that had to be made before the voting sites were able to open to the public. “The police deliver the voting booklets to each district at 5 a.m.,” Gionfriddo said.
New, electronic voting machines that allow disabled voters to cast their ballots without assistance were tested in several local districts. The pilot program is part of the Secretary of State’s goal to gradually replace lever voting machines with electronic ones.
According to Thornton, the first person in the city’s new, electronic voting machines was a visually impaired man.
“I watched him go into he voting booth by himself for the first time,” Thornton said.
By all accounts, the new voting machines were a success. The voter turnout was higher than usual, with somewhere between 40 and 42 percent of Middletown voters participating in this election, Gionfriddo said.
“The pilot program went really well,” she added. “People felt comfortable with the machines.”
Leave a Reply